Paradise Again
Paradise Again is the debut studio album by Swedish house music supergroup Swedish House Mafia, released on 15 April 2022 through SSA Recording and Republic Records.[4] The album features guest appearances from 070 Shake, ASAP Rocky, Connie Constance, Jacob Mühlrad, Mapei, Seinabo Sey, Sting, Ty Dolla Sign and the Weeknd.[5]
Paradise Again | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 15 April 2022 | |||
Recorded | 2021 – 10 February 2022[1] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 60:02 | |||
Label |
| |||
Producer |
| |||
Swedish House Mafia chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Paradise Again | ||||
|
Four singles were released from the album, with the third single "Moth to a Flame", a collaboration with the Weeknd, peaking at number two on Billboard's Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart.[6] To promote the album, Swedish House Mafia plans to embark on the Paradise Again World Tour, as well as headline the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival alongside the Weeknd.[7][8]
Background
Since the day we formed SHM, our dream was to make a studio album, an album that would stand for who we are as individuals and artists. Since our reunion we decided to fulfill our dream, we would embark on a sonic adventure that would take us to a new world, a world of free thoughts, limitless ideas and space for expression. This is us, this is our world, this is Paradise Again.
In February 2021, Swedish House Mafia's art director Alexander Wessley and their manager Max Holmstrand shared videos of the supergroup working on new music.[10] One month after the videos were published, the supergroup parted ways with their former record label Columbia Records.[11] In April, the supergroup signed with manager Wassim "Sal" Slaiby, hinting at a potential collaboration with his longtime client the Weeknd.[12] On July 15, Swedish House Mafia announced that they have signed to Republic Records and that they intended to release their debut studio album, Paradise Again, later that year. Following the announcement, the supergroup released the album's lead single "It Gets Better".[13] On 19 July, the supergroup released the album's second single "Lifetime" with Ty Dolla Sign and 070 Shake.[14] The album's third single "Moth to a Flame" with the Weeknd, was released on 22 October.[15]
On 10 February 2022, Swedish House Mafia announced that they have finished recording Paradise Again.[16] On 3 March, the supergroup released the album's fourth single "Redlight" with Sting, and revealed that Paradise Again is now scheduled to be released on 15 April.[17] The supergroup revealed the album's tracklist on 7 April.[18] On the same day, they revealed the artwork, stating that each particle in the artwork represents "a minute in the life" of the group, marking it as a timeline from the day the group was formed leading up to the album's release.[19]
Promotion
Swedish House Mafia performed a medley of "It Gets Better" and "Lifetime" on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and on the pre-show at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards.[20][21] In October 2021, to celebrate the release of "Moth to a Flame", the supergroup hosted the twentieth episode of the Weeknd's Apple Music 1 radio show Memento Mori.[22] The same month, the supergroup announced their first tour in ten years, the Paradise Again World Tour, which is scheduled to commence in July 2022.[23]
In January 2022, Swedish House Mafia was confirmed to headline the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at an unspecified date.[24] In April, ten days before the festival began, the supergroup were announced to be taking over Kanye West's Sunday spot after he dropped out, while also revealing that they would be headlining the show alongside the Weeknd.[25][26]
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 67/100[27] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Clash | 5/10[28] |
The Guardian | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
NME | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Pitchfork | 6.2/10[31] |
At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, Paradise Again received an average score of 67 based on four reviews, indicating "generally positive reviews".[27]
The Groove Cartel commended the album, calling it "a 360° exploration of electronic music".[32] Ali Shutler of NME praised Swedish House Mafia for taking risks "rather than sounding like a vintage group struggling to find their identity" and that the album has the trio "flexing their musical and emotional muscles across 17 brilliant, fearless and often surprising tracks. The kings of dance music are very much back".[30]
Track listing
All tracks are produced by Swedish House Mafia and Desembra, except where noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Time" (featuring Mapei) |
|
| 4:41 |
2. | "Heaven Takes You Home" (with Connie Constance) |
|
| 3:34 |
3. | "Jacob's Note" (featuring Jacob Mühlrad) |
|
| 1:04 |
4. | "Moth to a Flame" (with the Weeknd) |
| 3:54 | |
5. | "Mafia" |
| 3:34 | |
6. | "Frankenstein" (with ASAP Rocky) |
|
| 3:27 |
7. | "Don't Go Mad" (featuring Seinabo Sey) |
| 4:24 | |
8. | "Paradise Again" |
| 3:35 | |
9. | "Lifetime" (featuring Ty Dolla Sign and 070 Shake) |
| 3:06 | |
10. | "Calling On" |
|
| 4:35 |
11. | "Home" |
| 3:44 | |
12. | "It Gets Better" |
| 3:04 | |
13. | "Redlight" (with Sting) |
| 4:02 | |
14. | "Can U Feel It" |
| 4:23 | |
15. | "19:30" |
| 1:57 | |
16. | "Another Minute" |
|
| 3:27 |
17. | "For You" |
| 5:22 | |
Total length: | 60:02 |
Charts
Chart (2022) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA)[33] | 96 |
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[34] | 59 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[35] | 99 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[36] | 135 |
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[37] | 48 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[38] | 37 |
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[39] | 28 |
French Albums (SNEP)[40] | 135 |
Italian Albums (FIMI)[41] | 77 |
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[42] | 27 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[43] | 7 |
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[44] | 9 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[45] | 4 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[46] | 14 |
UK Albums (OCC)[47] | 70 |
UK Dance Albums (OCC)[48] | 1 |
US Billboard 200[49] | 121 |
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[50] | 1 |
References
- Swedish House Mafia [@swedishousemfia] (10 February 2022). "Album is done" (Tweet). Retrieved 7 April 2022 – via Twitter.
- Bain, Katie (15 April 2022). "7 essential tracks from Swedish House Mafia's Paradise Again: Editor's Picks". Billboard. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
...for music delving deeper into and farther across both sounds and sub-genres like ambient, house, hip-hop and disco.
- Moen, Matt (23 April 2022). "Swedish House Mafia finds Paradise Again". Papermag. Archived from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
Paradise Again sees Swedish House Mafia experimenting with even more genres and styles. From the bass heavy techno of the Gessaffelstein-esque "Mafia"...
- "Swedish House Mafia announce Paradise Again release date and share "Redlight"". NME. 4 March 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- Swedish House Mafia [@swedishousemfia] (7 April 2022). "The Walk to Paradise Again" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- Murray, Gordon (4 November 2021). "Swedish House Mafia & the Weeknd's "Moth" flies onto Hot Dance/Electronic Songs Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- Garrison, Logan (22 October 2021). "Swedish House Mafia Return With Paradise Again Tour in 2022". EDM Identity. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- Coscarelli, Joe; Sisario, Ben (6 April 2022). "Kanye West Replaced by Swedish House Mafia and the Weeknd at Coachella". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- Swedish House Mafia [@swedishousemfia] (7 April 2022). "Paradise Again Statement" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- "Swedish House Mafia Back In Studio Working On New Music". Your EDM. 9 February 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- Bain, Katie (4 March 2021). "Swedish House Mafia parts ways with Columbia Records: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- Barrionuevo, Alexei (6 April 2021). "Swedish House Mafia signs with the Weeknd Manager Sal Slaiby". Billboard. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- "Swedish House Mafia sign with Republic Records, share dramatic new music video for "It Gets Better"". mxdwn Music. 15 July 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- Blistein, Jon (19 July 2021). "Swedish House Mafia Tap Ty Dolla $ign, 070 Shake for 'Lifetime'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- "The Weeknd connects with Swedish House Mafia on "Moth to a Flame"". The Fader. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- "Swedish House Mafia's new album Paradise Again is "done"". NME. 15 February 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- Mier, Tomás (3 March 2022). "Swedish House Mafia returns with new album, first tour in 10 years". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- Heffler, Jason. "Swedish House Mafia reveal tracklist of long-awaited debut album, Paradise Again". EDM.com - The Latest Electronic Dance Music News, Reviews & Artists. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- "Swedish House Mafia announces tracklist for Paradise Again". T.H.E - Music Essentials. 8 April 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
- Blistein, Jon (20 July 2021). "Swedish House Mafia Deliver 'Lifetime,' 'It Gets Better' Medley on 'Fallon'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- Bain, Katie (13 September 2021). "Swedish House Mafia Tease Collab With The Weeknd, Perform At MTV VMAs: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- Swedish House Mafia [@swedishousemfia] (21 October 2021). "Honoured to host tonights show - don't forget to tune in wherever you are💀💀💀" (Tweet). Retrieved 21 October 2021 – via Twitter.
- Garrison, Logan (22 October 2021). "Swedish House Mafia Return With Paradise Again Tour in 2022". EDM Identity. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- Brooks, Dave (12 January 2022). "Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, Ye & Swedish House Mafia All In for Coachella 2022". Billboard. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- Tapp, Tom (6 April 2022). "Coachella: Kanye Replaced By The Weeknd, Swedish House Mafia Just 10 Days Before Festival". Deadline. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- Aswad, Jem (6 April 2022). "Swedish House Mafia x the Weeknd to Replace Kanye West on Coachella Lineup". Variety. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- "Paradise Again by Swedish House Mafia". Metacritic. 15 April 2022. Archived from the original on 18 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- Murray, Robin (15 April 2022). "Swedish House Mafia - Paradise Again". Clash. Archived from the original on 18 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- Kalia, Ammar (17 April 2022). "Swedish House Mafia: Paradise Again review – a formulaic play for radio airtime". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- Shutler, Ali (14 April 2022). "Swedish House Mafia – Paradise Again review: the rockstars of dance reclaim their title". NME. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- Blum, Dani (15 April 2022). "Swedish House Mafia: Paradise Again Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- "Swedish House Mafia new album Paradise Again is a 360° exploration of electronic music [Review]". The Groove Cartel. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 25 April 2022". The ARIA Report. No. 1677. Australian Recording Industry Association. 25 April 2022. p. 6.
- "Austriancharts.at – Swedish House Mafia – Paradise Again" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
- "Ultratop.be – Swedish House Mafia – Paradise Again" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- "Ultratop.be – Swedish House Mafia – Paradise Again" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- "Swedish House Mafia Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – Swedish House Mafia – Paradise Again" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
- "Swedish House Mafia: Paradise Again" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- "Top Albums (Week 16, 2022)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 16 (dal 15.04.2022 al 21.04.2022)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
- "2022 16-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 22 April 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
- "Album 2022 uke 16". VG-lista. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
- "Spanishcharts.com – Swedish House Mafia – Paradise Again". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- "Veckolista Album, vecka 16". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
- "Swisscharts.com – Swedish House Mafia – Paradise Again". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
- "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
- "Swedish House Mafia Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- "Swedish House Mafia Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 April 2022.